HOOKSETT — Oakhurst Dairy, northern New England’s largest independent family-owned dairy company and the first dairy company in the United States to purchase a hybrid delivery truck in 2009, unveiled three new hybrid electric delivery trucks at an event for employees and local and state officials at its Hooksett facility.The new vehicles will only operate in New Hampshire and primarily in the state’s ozone non-attainment areas, which include municipalities in Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham and Strafford Counties. Currently, these areas do not meet federal air quality standards. The three new hybrid delivery trucks represent an expansion of the dairy’s existing alternative technology vehicle fleet.Earlier this year, Oakhurst was awarded a State of New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Alternative Fuel Vehicles Grant through the Granite State Clean Cities Coalition (GSCCC) to fund the incremental cost of the new trucks. The grant requires Oakhurst to assess and report on vehicle reliability, maintenance costs, fuel savings and emissions reductions achieved. Driver satisfaction will also be reviewed. These reports will be filed for the next five years and the GSCCC will use Oakhurst’s experiences as a model for businesses and fleet managers in New Hampshire so they too may realize the benefits of integrating advanced hybrid technology vehicles into their fleets.The company’s first hybrid delivery truck has realized 35% fuel savings annually. Today, the single truck travels a daily route of 260 miles and uses 30 gallons of fuel, compared to a traditional truck, which would require 40 gallons to travel the same distance. Hybrid vehicles also account for 45% of Oakhurst’s sales vehicles. The independent family-owned dairy was also the first in its industry to convert its fleet to biodiesel. Today, Oakhurst Dairy has the largest private biodiesel fleet in New England — 90% of the fleet uses biodiesel — and 28% of the company’s total fuel needs are met by biodiesel fuel.For more information, visit www.oakhurstdairy.com.